Destination Saint-Tropez

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Lightbox (80) Tags: cte-dazur france french-riviera resorts st-tropez Posted: Dec. 2, 2007 by Val

St. Tropez map

If you are trying to find information on the Internet about St.Tropez, you will quickly learn that the whole knowledge about this community and small town evolves around very few topics:

It's a place for rich people (including movie stars, supermodels, etc.) to go and spent money with their multimillion yachts.
The place became popular after Brigitte Bardot "put on a bikini" to star in "And God Created Woman" (1960), and when later on she bought a property in St.Tropez.
The name of the town originates from the Torpes - a Nero's centurion who refused to forsake his religion and was beheaded in 1055 - the body was placed in a boat and eventually hit the shore where the town of St Tropez stands today.

What else? Oh, they invented/have Tarte Tropézienne (sort of a cream cake), and also they manufacture sandals (on one site I even found a recommendation to buy sandals only from Atelier Rondini (even if they "look like any other sandals").

I would like to offer a different view of St. Tropez:

Yes, there are rich people hanging around but in this respect (and number of yachts) St. Tropez is not different from most other places on Côte d'Azur. I am sure there are movie stars, but we have never seen a single one in the town.
St. Tropez is a very popular tourist destination because of its excellent climate with low to moderate humidity and pleasant maritime breezes.
The place is expensive (not more and not less as any other place on French Riviera). However, this does not mean that it is out of reach of a regular budget traveler. Just set your expectations based on the old axiom of "you get what you pay for" - and you will be fine.
St. Tropez is very crowded during high season; however, these crowds in St. Tropez are not as overwhelming as in many other places on Côte d'Azur. The town somehow manages to preserve its relaxed atmosphere. I think this is because the town itself has very few beaches. If you want one, you will have to go somewhere like Baie de Pampelonne which is close to the village of Ramatuelle. It's a long walk (or a short drive) if you are in St. Tropez. Most hotels provide shuttle buses to their clientele.

As often the case, the best way to understand St. Topez is to walk the town and explore on feet its charming streets and architecture, as well as whatever local culinary delights you will manage to find. The town is small - less than 6000 inhabitants. There are some stylish shops, but there is no specific shopping street. Few museums will not take much of your time. At the same time, you may find yourself spending hours sipping a cafe au lait (or a fine wine) in a nice bar gawking at the yachts and passersbyers.

We put together a small photo gallery that may help you get first impressions of what this town can be on a typical summer day. I hope you'll like this place as much as we do. But for the moment, let's assume that you decided to spend one day in St. Tropez, and you have just arrived (it's about 8:30 am) to a huge parking lot (with your car or a bus) located at Nouveau (New) Port. The day is beautiful; the sky is blue, and the sun is shining...

	1. Parking du Nouveau Port. Parking space in St. Tropez is very scarce. And generally it's a bad idea to come to town with your own car. One bright idea I've heard about is to park at Port Grimaud and take a passanger ferri across the bay.
	2. Quai de L'epi (Nouveau Port). That's the quay you take to get into the town center. And that's the place where you start looking at yachts. They are everywhere - small and big, old and new, ugly and beautiful.
	3. Some people watch birds. I guess in St. Tropez one of the passa tempo activities is to watch yachts. Some of them, especially sailing yachts, are fairly old. Just looking at them, I would say they were built at times of Clark Gable and Greta Garbo. Their rigging with masts and cordage looks nostalgically romantic. The age of sail has gone but we still cannot remain unmoved by the beauty of a sloop or schooner.
	4. Look at this belle - lines and proportions. It's a perfection. Most of these old yachts are in perfect condition, and you will see people lovingly taking care of them. Cleaning, polishing brass parts, varnishing wooden parts. Boat owners know that their babies are watched - they do not show that are proud of their beauties, but they are and for a good reason.
	5. As I mentioned, you will see in St. Tropez marina all sorts of yachts. This one looks to me like built in 70s - 80s. They have less curves and more straight lines. Also, in addition to sails, she has a powerful engine - lust look at this exhaust at the waterline.
	6. Someone's car at St. Tropez marina. A bit exotic, but looks good and very suitable for the local climate. These show off types of things are not uncommon in St. Tropez. But this innocent vanity does not disturb. In fact, it adds to the overall atmosphere of the place
	7. Marina is marina and the job must be done. There are all the facilities to supply and repair boats, perform routine and more serious maintenance. This boat (looks like kind of speed boat) has been just taken from the water - perhaps they just want to clean its hull? Anyway, this part of the port is dedicated to maintenance and there is always something to do.
	8. This picture was taken while moving away from the maintenance facilities to SOGECA Shipping Services (the photo does not show it), the Port and Custom Agent. I do not think this carousel at the Quai de L'epi has something to do with SOGECA and is just a manifestation of the Tropezian entrepreneurship.
	9. St. Tropes, Nouveau Port - just the last chance to look at it before we move closer to the town center and Vieux (Old) Port. Very soon we'll discover that it is less industrial and more entertaining.
	10. I do not think anybody knows where Nouveau Port ends and Vieux (Old) Port begins (or vice versa if you go into the opposite direction). But a few art sellers at Quai H. Bouchard and Quai G. Peri are certainly a sign that we have already crossed this line.
	11. Another improvised art studio in the harbor - not Montmartr, but not less trendy and same propensity for selling. Also, with all due respect for the Parisian icon, Tropezian outdoor art market offers better artistry and no intention to harass visitors to make them pose and buy daub portraits.
	12. For a change, here is the place Grammont - a piece of terra ferma. That's what you will see if you look away from the port. It's still relatively early, and there are few people - mostly locals rushing to open for tourists their stores, cafes - everything that serves crowds of people that will flood the town in an hour.
	13. From Place Grammont we keep walking along quai G. Peri and quai Suffren - a place where many luxury yachts are moored. With their sterns to the quays, they are connected to various terminals with cables and pipes. The yachts here are getting big, evidently there is enough berth to approach the shore.
	14. Across the street: shops and cafes are already open, but there are still few customers at this hour - life as usual at quai de Suffen. You can also see a Naf-Naf boutique (25, quai de Suffen, 83990 - St. Tropez), a well known French prêt à porter chain.
	15. That's how quai Suffren looks at this hour. The sun is getting higher but still not high enough to hit fully streets and buildings with sunshine. That's why these parts of the scape are in sharp contrast.
	16. Comte (count) Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren (1729 - 1788), a French admiral was known for his daring tactics, he also fought against the British in Indian waters during the American Revolutionary War. His statue is located on quai Suffren.
	17. We keep moving and very quickly quai Suffren becomes quai J. Jaures - same already familiar scenes. If you want more information about St. Tropez (including hotels, events, shopping, etc.), here is your chance: Office de Tourisme - see that sign on the left side of the picture?
	18. Right behind the Office de Tourisme there is a small fish market. We loved to find this place in glamorous (sometimes) St. Tropez. It's so cozy and homy - and those frescoes on the walls. And it's nice to know that food still comes from nature and not synthesized in stoves of Tropezian bistros and restaurants.
	19. Time to take a rest. We were wandering around for about two hours - even if it takes only 15 minutes from the point where we started to Café Le Senequier. The latter is the place for many locals as well as tourists to sip something and gawk around sitting on a red directors chair. Prices: tee - €4.80, Viennoiserie (kind of pastry) - &euro,1.90, small Perrier - €5.00.
	20. Tour du Portalet of Saint Tropez, used to defend the bay from invaders. Cannons were located here in a strategic position to protect the entrance to the bay. Today, there is nothing extraordinary in this place (other than it is a location of one of three public restrooms in St. Tropez.).
	21. Restaurant Maison Lei Mouscardins, Tour du Portalet. I guess we'll have more opportunities to talk about food in St. Tropez. For the moment I can only suggest that you should take a note of this Michelin-rated place. It is expensive (expect to pay €300 or more for a dinner of two) but offers an excellent food which is a rare find in town.

	22. View on Vieux Port from Tour du Portalet - that's what you will see if you climb the tower. The New Port is in the background. You can see its carousel we passed earlier and the Bureau du Port (a round building). Suddenly, you realize how small St. Tropez is.
	23. The lighthouse of St. Tropez is at the far end of the Mole Jean Reveille. It's worth spending another 20 -30 minutes to explore the lighthouse which is fully operational (and I can guess very useful for yachts approaching the bay at night despite all modern navigation systems). What we also liked about the lighthouse is the red of its top part. Look how it contrasts with the blue color (no Photoshop tricks here) of the sky!
	24. View on Bay of Saint-Tropez from lighthouse. It is magnificent and very friendly; if you have seen an ocean coast line, the difference is striking. Mediterranean is friendly and inviting, something like Pacific is eternal and challenging. Strange - is this only me, or indeed there is something that produced this feeling?
	25. A yacht passing lighthouse - there is quite a traffic I should say. Boats and yachts drift back and forth through the narrow entrance to the port. Most people on these boats and yachts are friendly - they are waving their hands eagerly. It's a very peaceful picture.
	26. View on Nouveau Port from lighthouse. Incidentally, many yachts (to say nothing about bigger vessels) prefer to stay anchored in the bay. Perhaps for many of them both ports are too shallow? Or, too expensive? Still sooner or later they will need to take supplies, first of all water and fuel.
	27. I wanted to find a definition of a mega yacht. It turns that there is no one. Some folks believe that mega yacht should have length of at least 100ft; others - that the cost of hull should be more than one million dollars. Whatever is true, we found that the longest yachts are moored along the lighthouse mole.
	28. Incidentally, at least some of these beauties are available for daily excursions and longer charter trips. Prices are astronomical - one week of vacations on 40 ft - 50 ft yacht will cost you from $30,000 to $60,000 (depending on a number of factors such as hours of cruising per day and others) plus supplies. A 15 ft powerboat (with a skipper) at St Tropez can be hired for one day at a price from $2,500 to $3,500 plus fuel (which, depending on its engines, can take up to a grand or more from your pocket)
	29. Yachts and boats, boats and yachts are everywhere. Interestingly, they do not annoy - they are just part of St. Tropez life and reality that surrounds you. And it's not only about hulls and masts. When you watch them you also watch people - whoever they are - owners, guests, crew members. You watch what they do, how they decorate their boats, how they take care of their belles...
	30. My Little Violet yacht, built 2005 by Abeking & Rasmussen, 147ft (44.9m). This one was probably the biggest that day - with 3,500 miles of range, it's a very serious ship with the crew of 9 with which you can travel to many places and countries. Its accommodations are made up of 4 guest suites, each with marble clad en-suite bathrooms, and a grand owners' suite which is full beam and located forward on the main deck.
	31. Mole Jean Reveille - a pier to moor for large yachts, and it's another view of the "My Little Violet" By the way, if you are curious as much as I am - I just looked up on the Web some additional information on this yacht. It was sold to a new owner in 2006; asking price was about thirty million dollars.
	32. View on Bureau du Port across marina from the lighthouse mole. That was the place where we started our tour several hours ago, and we did not move too far from where we started. Perhaps it's time to continue our exploration of the town.
	33. On our way back from the lighthouse we see a lot of smaller boats along the mole. My guess is that waters are shallower in this place. Most of these boats are not as glamorous as what we've seen before. However, they have their own charm - especially old ones. Peeled off paint, dull and tarnished metal parts, different curves - they do look like they have seen a lot in their lives. How long they will last?
	34. I can only guess, but it looks like many of these smaller boats are used for fishing. Some of them have obvious signs of that like fishing equipment - various winches, trawls, nets, etc. Also, if there is a fish market in the town, someone should catch fish to sell, right? Some places, for example, restaurant Maison Lei Mouscardins I mentioned before, allegedly have their own fishing operations to provide the freshest catch to their patrons.
	35. Finally, we are back on St. Tropez quays - here is the Creperie Bretonne on Quai Jean Jaures. The obvious difference from what we saw earlier in the morning is the number of people. The time for lunch is approaching, and many tourists already started gazing longingly at various food establishments. They are facing tough decisions - where to eat this time!
	36. Les Bonbon du Pirates - a candy shop on Quai Jean Jaures. It's rather popular among kids and their parents. How can you pass this shop without peeking inside at least for a second. The shop decor is rather exotic - barrels with bonbons and some theme decorations. Anyway, these theatrical props are not typical for St. Tropez ambience.
	37. Joseph l'Escale - a bar and restaurant in St. Tropez harbor (and boutique as well!). As far as I know not very expensive - it looks very clean with white tablecloths and napkins. It's still empty, but this is deceiving since in 10 - 15 minutes it will be full as soon as it's open to public, usually at noon time. Hopefully, I will have another chance during our tour to talk about Tropezian restaurants. All I can say is that if you care, choose places to eat in advance.
	38. What can be more triter that a departure of a boat from wharf? It's not a cruise ship and there is no orchestra like old days it used to be. Yet, this seemingly insignificant event managed to gather a small crowd of idly roaming onlookers. Glory to St. Tropez and sweet doing nothing! Actually, one interesting thing to watch for at moments like this is how skillful skippers are and if while maneuvering, they scratch another yacht.
	39. A view on Joseph l'Escale restaurant on quai Jean Jaures. As far as I know, there are two more L'Escale restaurants in St. Tropes - Grand Joseph (place de l'hotel de ville) and Petit Joseph (rue Sibille, specializes in Asian food). I've heard that the Grand Joseph offers really good and more expensive (main course from €40) food.
	40. Affrican Cat, length109.91 ft (33.5), built 2002 by Overmarine SRL (Italy). Another luxury yacht. Now, do you see how it's moored with its stern? Obviously, this type of mooring allows for more vessels in stay in Vieux Port which is really small. But this also has an important "social" function - when it's getting dark, and harbor cafes and restaurants are busting with people sitting al fresco and watching yachts, yachts owners and their guests are sitting on boat decks watching those who are ashore.